Pirates Make Winning Intentions Known With Latest Move
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates are having a solid season so far, but that doesn't mean that they're content with where they are.
The Pirates made two big promotions this week in outfielders Jhostynxon Garcia, who came up on May 19 ahead of the series vs. the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium, and now Esmerlyn Valdez, who will join the team ahead of their road series vs. Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre, May 22-24.
Garcia and Valdez are both players the Pirates have high hopes for and what they'll achieve in their future, but are now both with the team and helping them on an important road trip.
It's surprising to see the Pirates act this way, but with how crucial of a season that they're in, it's understandable to see them make these roster decisions.
Why Pirates Brought Up Garcia and Valdez
The Pirates have sorely needed players they can rely on off the bench, particularly those that can produce from the plate and fill in for starts when needed.
Pittsburgh lost slugger Ryan O'Hearn to the 10-day injured list on May 17, dealing with a right quad muscle strain that may keep him out for up to four weeks.
The options the Pirates had on the bench included utility man Nick Yorke and outfielders in Billy Cook and Jake Mangum, who had just recently came back from a left hamstring injury himself.
Mangum is valuable to the Pirates, just for his versatility in the outfield and also with his peskiness on the base paths and ability to get some infield hits and lay some bunts down at times too.
Cook and Yorke were struggling massively at the plate and not giving the Pirates what they needed, with Cook hitting .190 and Yorke hitting .197.
The Pirates sent down Yorke after they suffered a series sweep to the Philadelphia Phillies at PNC Park, May 15-17, bringing up Garcia. Cook will now go down to make room for Valdez on the 40-man roster.
Cook played an important role for the Pirates, serving as the hype man for the team, but his play on the field left much to be desired.
The promotions of Garcia and Valdez, who may have benefitted from more time at Triple-A Indianapolis, show the Pirates want their best hitters going forward and won't want any longer for that.
Garcia and Valdez Could Change Pirates' Fortunes
While Garcia and Valdez are young and still early in their major league careers, both bring important skillsets to the team.
They are a right-handed power bat duo, hitting home runs with consistency and also serving as more dangerous threats at the plate than the Pirates options prior.
Garcia has hit 20+ home runs in the minor leagues the past two seasons and had three hits in nine at-bats in his two starts for the Pirates vs. the Cardinals.
Valdez broke out last season with 26 home runs, 20 with High-A Greensboro, and had hit 10 home runs already in 46 games with Triple-A Indianapolis, tied for seventh-most in the International League.
His maturation at the plate has seen him drastically cut his strikeouts down while increasing his walks, with 33 walks to 41 strikeouts, compared to his past two seasons with 130+ strikeouts. His 33 walks also ranked fifth-most in the International League.
Both players make great contact and can drive the ball for serious power, especially important for the Pirates, who need right-handed bats that can provide that.
The Pirates will also hope that Garcia and Valdez become acquainted with left field in PNC Park, further than most MLB ball parks, and use the lower wall to their advantage to score a great deal of runs.
Garcia is the more versatile defensive player, able to play all three outfield spots with a preference for center field, while Valdez mostly features in right field, with some games in left field too.
It wouldn't come as a surprise to see Valdez get time at designated hitter, particularly if Marcell Ozuna continues his struggles at the plate.
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.